Super easy, and super fun! If you have a brooch, button, earring or pendant that you thought would look awesome on some sort of baked good, it couldn’t be easier to make it happen. All you need is about 30 minutes, your silicone compound, pretty things and you’re set!

1) The silicone mold mix. I got this one at Michael’s for $19.99 (Well, really $10.00 after my 50% off coupon). Make sure whatever you get is non-toxic and food safe!This one dries pretty fast, which means you have to work quickly. I have faith in you.

2) Collect pretty things

3) The mix has two containers. Measure out equal parts of the silicone mix. I did 0.5 oz of each. Mix together until the color is uniform. You have about a minute. READY, GO!

4) Smoosh it into a receptacle of your choice and try to smooth out the top as flat as possible. I used a 1/4 c. measuring cup.

5) Push your pretty things into the putty, deep enough to set all the details in, but not so deep that you end up with a cavernous mold.

6) Let sit long enough to cure. This brand takes 15-20 minutes. If you stick your nail into it and an impression is left behind, it’s not done. Once done, take a knife, pop out the disc, and bend backwards to get all the pretty things out. Voila!

7) WASH YOUR MOLD. Hot water and dish soap. Then fill to your hearts desire. I used white chocolate, let it set, and sloppily threw some luster dust on to bring out the details. Then I used Instagram to make them look a little less sloppy. Voila!

I admit, I’m impatient and I hate when I don’t master something right away. Because of this, I strayed away from making a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. It seemed way too complicated and frankly, I didn’t want to fail. Funny enough, the process is damn easy and fairly foolproof. I’ve tried two recipes; one from Smitten Kitchen, found here, and one from From Scratch SF, found here.

I really like the tutorial from From Scratch SF because of the photos and especially because of her “ghetto double boiler”. It’s also very informative and entertaining! In any case, try both recipes. The Smitten Kitchen one is lighter in butter content and a little sweeter than the From Scratch SF one, but as I said, I like them both! The biggest tip I can give you is after you add the butter, mix SLOWLY and be patient. It will look like hell, but will eventually become beautiful!!!

When I moved to San Diego, my first job was serving at this small, but AMAZING French restaurant named Chez Loma. Part of the training process was that everyone had to help prep in the kitchen in order to have a full understanding of what goes into the food and how it’s prepared. Here, I learned how ridiculously easy it was to make caramel sauce. Few ingredients, minimal cooking time, and BAM-delicious nectar that I ate on a nightly basis on top of a slice of bread and sprinkled with cinnamon. YUM. Here’s an easy recipe that I love from Simply Recipes for you to try and experiment with! I’ve added lavender, cayenne pepper, or basic vanilla-all with fabulous results.